


An Angel Revealed

by SloaneDestler



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux, Phantom of the Opera - Lloyd Webber
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Dubious Consent Due To Identity Issues, F/M, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Love, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:41:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25232575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SloaneDestler/pseuds/SloaneDestler
Summary: Christine discovers that her voice teacher isn't an angel after all, but instead a man who has deceived her...Erik/Christine
Relationships: Christine Daaé/Erik | Phantom of the Opera
Comments: 6
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I marked the non-con warning on this to be on the safe side. If it's not clear from the tags, I would like to add that there is no physical coercion or force here, but of course consent means more than that so I wouldn't want anyone to be unpleasantly surprised.

Christine stalked down the hallway to her dressing room, rolling her eyes to herself. Rehearsal had been cut short for the day because of La Carlotta. The diva had thrown a fit over something minor, and had ended her tantrum by storming out. In the ensuing chaos, Monsieur Reyer had put an early end to the day’s activities. ‘If I am ever a prima donna, I vow I’ll never act like that.’

After shutting the door behind her, she turned toward her dressing table and froze in terror. A man dressed in a black cloak, a fedora, and most disturbing of all a mask that covered his entire face except for his mouth and chin, was standing next to her wardrobe!

Erik whirled around in shock when Christine entered the room. She was supposed to be at rehearsal for a good amount of time yet! Although most days he observed rehearsals, occasionally he was weak and took the opportunity to let himself into her dressing room when he knew she was occupied. Sometimes the temptation to touch the same items she touched every day was too great and he indulged himself. His mind raced to find a way to salvage this situation.

“Christine, don’t scream. It is only me.”

She let out the breath that she had been holding in her panic once she heard her Angel’s voice. But…”Angel? I didn’t know you could take human form?” She gazed at him earnestly.

Erik couldn’t believe his luck! His innocent Christine still thought him to be her angel. Fiend that he was, he grasped onto that lifeline. “My dear, as you can see, I can become corporeal if I so desire, as long as I always wear a mask to protect any unsuspecting humans from accidentally seeing my visage.” Hopefully that would deflect any questions over why he was wearing the mask in front of her. “However, we aren’t supposed to reveal ourselves to mortals in this way.”

Christine was stunned with this knowledge. It was as if her fondest wish had come true! How many times had she dreamed that her angel would become a man and they could spend their lives together. If he could take human form, maybe that could happen!

“However,” he continued, “now that you know this is possible, I suppose there’s no harm in us spending our time together with me in this body. That is, if you don’t object?”

After Christine nodded shyly, he replied, “Excellent. I actually have a better place where we can conduct your lessons in the future. Would you like to see it?” And he dared to hold out his hand to her.

Barely able to believe this was happening, Christine almost felt as if she was in a sort of trance. She reached out and put her hand in his. “Yes, I would.”

Erik nodded decisively. “Then come with me, Petite.” And to her shock, he pressed something along the side of her mirror and it slid smoothly to the side. Still holding her hand, he led her through the mirror into a dark tunnel.

A feeling of unease slightly pierced the dreamy fog that enveloped her. “Angel?” she queried uncertainly. The path ahead of them appeared to angle downward, not up. Was it strange that an angel would be taking her underground? She opened her mouth to question him, but something made her close it again, leaving her question unasked.

“Don’t be afraid, Christine. This is the path to my earthly home. Remember, you are always safe when you are with me. Also, you may call me Erik.” He spoke that last sentence without thinking, but apparently his desire to have her call him by his name had overruled his common sense. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to question that an angel would be called by a very human name.

“Erik,” she said thoughtfully, trying the name out on her tongue. “It never occurred to me that you would have a name,” she said with a little embarrassment. “I should have thought to ask.”

He gave her a little smile in answer, and her heart skipped a beat. “Well, you know it now.” And she smiled at him in return.

*****

When they got to the end of what turned out to be a rather long walk, they came to a boat. After Erik rowed them across a lake (underneath the opera house!), they came to a small house. She looked around in astonishment as he led her inside and began to show her around. To think that her angel lived in this beautiful home, at least when he was here on the earth.

After showing her a lovely living room and a library she was dying to investigate further, he brought her to his music room. As she looked around the perfect room in awe, Erik smiled to himself. It seemed his Christine was impressed with his home!

“Would you like to sing, my dear? Now that we are free to come down here, I can play for you anytime you like.” He sat down at the piano and gave her an inquiring look.

Christine agreed happily and sat next to him on the piano bench. Sitting this close to him, she caught a faint whiff of sandalwood. Her angel even smelled heavenly, she mused.

Naturally, he played the piano as beautifully as he sang, which she supposed should only be expected of an angel. Erik accompanied her for quite some time, and even joined her in a few duets. Hearing how perfectly their voices blended together only increased her conviction that they should be together, angel or not. Obviously they were a perfect match in every way!

After singing a particularly romantic duet, they both fell silent. As they gazed into each other’s eyes, Christine spoke without thinking. “Do angels ever...kiss?”

Erik’s eyes widened at her innocent question. “Ah, well, they certainly can,” he managed to get out. “I never have, however.” At least for once, he was able to be honest with her about something.

“I see,” she said softly, and to Erik’s great shock she gently pressed her sweet lips to his thin, almost non-existent ones. After a few seconds, though, instinct took over and he moved his lips against hers in return. She seemed to like that, as she made a sweet little sound and slid her arms around his waist. He stiffened in shock, causing her to break the kiss. “Oh, should I not have done that? I just wanted to hug you, and I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry!”

“No, no,” he hastened to reassure her. “I was just surprised.”

“Have you never had a hug before?”

“No,” he whispered, again able to be honest with her.

She leaned in again and hugged him so delicately, he felt tears start to form in his eyes. After a few moments, she leaned back just far enough to kiss him again. This time, he returned the kiss much more promptly, and soon it became passionate. When she slid her tongue into his mouth, he groaned involuntarily, causing her to break off the kiss for a second. In a second though, her mouth returned to his and soon their tongues were tangling together as their upper bodies pressed against each other.

When their kiss finally ended, both of them were breathing heavily. “Can angels do...other things?” she asked shyly, not meeting his gaze.

“What other things are you referring to?” he asked blankly.

“Um, earthly things?’ she mumbled, embarrassed.

Erik leapt up from the bench in shock. “Christine! Where have you learned of such things?” Suddenly he felt a jealous rage rising in him. “Has that boy taken advantage of you? Led you astray?” ‘I’ll kill him!’ he vowed silently.

“No! I would never, you know I’m a good girl, Angel. It’s just that I hear things from the other girls, and I wonder what it must be like. And you said I’m always safe with you, so I thought maybe we could…” she trailed off weakly.

Part of Erik knew his Christine deserved better, but this was a temptation he was unable to withstand. Knowing if there was any remaining chance that he wasn’t before, he certainly was damned now, he held out his hand to her. “Come with me, Petite.”

As Christine once again slipped her hand in his, she trembled with excitement and emotion. At last she would experience the physical act she had heard so much about, and it would be with her true love, her perfect angel! She couldn’t wish for anything more.

He led her into a tastefully appointed bedroom. In the back of her mind, a thought registered that if she could design a room for herself, this one would be perfect. All thoughts of decor flew from her mind, though, as Erik kissed her again. She felt his fingers start to work on the buttons of her gown as their kiss grew more passionate.

After he finished unbuttoning her dress, he continued removing the rest of her clothes until she stood bare before him. Christine knew she should be embarrassed, but it was impossible as her angel gazed at her so admiringly. He took her hand and guided her to lie down on the high bed. He had previously removed his hat and cloak when they entered his home; now he removed his formal coat and shoes, leaving himself clad in his shirtsleeves and trousers. Christine wondered why he didn’t undress further when she herself was completely unclothed, but she found herself too shy to ask. Maybe he would remove the rest of his clothes later. Any further thought on the matter flew out of her head when he joined her on the bed and kissed her once again.

As Erik lay down next to her, he could barely believe such a thing was actually happening. His fantasy of Christine naked and willing in his arms was a reality! Although he had no experience with the physical act, he had studied it extensively, as he had so many subjects. And now he would try to apply this knowledge he had never thought to use, to hopefully bring his beautiful girl pleasure!

After a few minutes of them kissing, Erik started lightly trailing his fingertips up her arms and then over her sensitive stomach. Christine made an appreciative noise and deepened their kiss. Sensing that she was enjoying his touch, he brought his fingers to her breasts and gently caressed the tips. He smiled against her lips as he felt them bud tightly as he lightly stimulated her. So far, it seemed his research had paid off, he mused.

Next he trailed his hand down to the darker patch of hair between her thighs, chuckling a little to himself as she eagerly spread her legs as he ran his hand over her mound. He moved his fingers to her soft folds, and when he felt moisture already leaking from her opening, Erik pulled back from their kiss to smile at her. “Hmm, it seems my Christine enjoys her angel’s touch,” and still holding her gaze, he slid one long finger inside her.

“Oh, yes, Maestro, I do!” she couldn’t help but exclaim as the finger that had entered her began working back and forth. Erik’s touch felt incredible! It was so much better than her attempts to give herself pleasure in the past. Her eyes fell closed as another finger joined the first.

“Is this too much pressure, my dear? You’re very small here.”

“No, no!” she gasped. Emboldened by her response, Erik bent his head to the perfect breast nearest him. He gave the pink nipple an experimental lick, and felt more liquid soak his fingers. His Christine was so responsive to his attentions! He closed his lips around the tip and began to suckle gently as he continued to work his fingers in her, attempting to stretch out her tight channel.

Christine was becoming lost in the pleasure that her angel was giving her, but when he brushed his thumb over the bundle of nerves at the top of her womanhood, she nearly jumped off the bed. “Erik!”

He instantly stilled his hand. “Is it too much, my darling? Did I do something wrong?”

“No! I need more! Please, more of that.” He laughed a little dangerously to himself as he began working his hand between her legs again. Although his mind was becoming more and more hazy the longer he touched her, he knew he needed to try to bring her to pleasure in this way, before he entered her tight channel. She was so narrowly built, he feared this first time would be painful for her no matter how carefully he prepared her.

When he returned to suckling at her nipples and at the same time increased the pressure of his thumb against her bud, she was lost. As Erik felt her climax roll over her, he removed his hand from her soaked womanhood and quickly unfastened his trousers. While she was still spasming, he slowly slid his member into her. How tight she was! He hadn’t dreamed it could feel like this. He pulled back, almost all the way out, and when he slid back in again, he was lost, his seed spurting from his body into her tight channel.

Erik had the presence of mind to collapse to the side of her, instead of directly on her, but that was all he could manage in the aftermath of that glorious passion. They both simply lay there for several minutes, catching their breath and trying to come to terms with the beautiful experience they had just shared. However, after a bit of time passed, Erik sensed Christine moving a little uncomfortably. “Oh, my dear! I’m sorry, are you in pain? What can I do for you?”

Christine smiled at him. Her angel was so attentive, so caring toward her. How could she have gotten so lucky to have him in her life? “No, I’m not hurt. But…” and she gestured vaguely toward her lower body.

How could he be so stupid, Erik thought. Of course she would be uncomfortable after he had rutted in her like that! He kissed her forehead. “I’ll be right back, Petite.” He went into an adjoining room and returned with a damp cloth. He carefully cleaned between her thighs, shaking his head a little as he did so. “I’m sorry, Christine. I made such a mess.” He looked a little ashamed.

“Don’t be sorry, Erik. I’m certainly not.”

“Truly?” As she nodded gently, Erik’s heart unclenched a little. Maybe he really had pleased her. After he finished wiping her as clean as he could, he much more quickly wiped himself off and fastened his pants again. Grabbing a soft quilt from the nearby dresser, he returned to lay with her and covered them both with it. Christine instantly snuggled up against his side and lay her head on his shoulder. He took her small hand in his and gave it a gentle kiss. “Sleep now, my dear. Your angel will be here watching over you.” Her lashes fluttered closed at his words, and he held his treasure in his arms as he watched sleep overtake her.

Several hours later, Christine awoke slowly. She smiled as awareness started to come over her and she remembered exactly whose shoulder she had been sleeping on. Strangely enough, though, her angel was breathing deeply as though he was asleep. She hadn’t thought that an angel would need sleep. Now frowning a little, she discarded that line of thought. About to look up at him, she froze as her eyes locked on a piece of black fabric laying on top of the blanket.

His mask! Either he must have removed it in his sleep or it had fallen off. Although Christine knew she was forbidden from seeing his face, she could not have stopped herself from bringing her gaze higher and beholding her angel’s countenance. Once she did so, however, a startled cry escaped her. His face was terribly disfigured! His skin was paper white, and stretched tightly over his facial bones. And although his lips hadn’t been covered by the mask previously, somehow their thinness was much more jarring when seen with the entirety of his face. But maybe most disturbing of all, Erik didn’t have a nose! Her beloved’s face didn’t seem to be a face at all, it much more closely resembled a skull, she thought in horror.

Christine’s cry brought Erik to full awareness in a second. As he turned to see what had made her call out, he couldn’t believe he had fallen asleep next to her. He often went days without sleeping, but apparently having his first orgasm with another person had had a draining effect on him. “Did you have a nightmare, my dear?” he asked caringly. But as he fully looked at her, he could see what was causing her horror as she stared directly at him with her mouth open in shock.

With a sinking feeling, Erik realized he was no longer wearing his mask. As the horrible memories of years of abuse and disgust washed over him, he knew an unholy rage that she had dared to remove it. “How could you? You had no right!” he all but screamed at her.

Christine wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but in that moment, there was only one question in her mind. “You’re not an angel, are you?” she whispered brokenly.

All Erik knew in that moment was that he wanted to hurt her as she had hurt him. “No, you inquisitive little thing!” he snarled at her. “I am the furthest thing from an angel that there could be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I can't really believe I'm posting this, yes that was the first sex scene I've ever written


	2. Chapter 2

Christine sat at the vanity in her dressing room, shoulders slumping as she stared at nothing in particular. Although the night’s performance had ended some time ago, instead of leaving the opera house she was dwelling on the events of a night now three weeks past. As time moved on, she seemed to spend more and more hours replaying that night with Erik, where she had learned her angel wasn’t an angel at all, but instead a man who seemed to scorn her.

“I am the furthest thing from an angel that there could be.” After Erik snarled the hurtful truth to her that fateful evening, he had sprang up from the bed and started pacing back and forth with his fists clenched. All too aware that she was still completely naked, Christine clutched the quilt tightly to her chin, dread washing over her at the implication in his words.

“You mean, you’re a...demon?”

The question made him give a short bark of manic laughter. “What if I said yes? How would you feel knowing you let a hell-spawned demon fuck you?” As horrified tears formed in her eyes, he turned from her in disgust. “But no, you gullible child, I am not a demon, at least not as far as I know. Although the hell-spawned part is certainly true enough”

Her relief at this revelation was short-lived. Suddenly he sprang into motion again and strode around the bed to the side she lay on. Looming over her, he bent close to her so his face was directly above hers. “But does it make you feel any better to know that you let a man like this have his way with you, you foolish girl?”

As Christine cringed away from his cruel words, he raised his hand as though he would strike her, but as she recoiled from him further, he balled his hand into a fist and dropped it by his side. Turning away from her, he said dismissively, “You needn’t fear that I’ll bother you again, though. I’ve gotten what I wanted from you, and it was hardly worth the effort. Get dressed so I can take you back to your dressing room.” And he strode from the room as she lay there sobbing, shattered by the loss of her angel.

However, she reflected as she stared unseeing at the items on her vanity, he hadn’t yet been done hurting her that night. After she collected herself enough to put her clothes back on, she emerged from the bedroom, terrified of what she might find. What she found, though, was Erik standing impatiently by the door, already wearing his cloak and fedora. After a silent journey back to her dressing room, she had stepped through the mirror and turned to him, hoping he would say something, anything to make her feel better. Instead, without even meeting her eyes, he had hit the catch to close the mirror the instant she stepped through it. Without so much as a backward glance, he instantly turned and started striding back down the tunnel.

Initially, Christine had been devastated by his betrayal, and she devoutly hoped that she would never see him again. How had she been so foolish, to believe that an actual angel was teaching her? Looking back, she realized she had had doubts about him many times, but she had chosen to willfully ignore them and continue to live in a fantasy world.

After a few days passed, though, her feelings had started to change. For one thing, she simply missed her angel. And although it was very naughty of him to have deceived her, maybe he had had his reasons. He had been such a caring teacher to her for so long, would he have really gone to that much effort just to trick her into allowing him to bed her? And then her mind replayed the minutes after they were intimate over and over. He had been so gentle when he helped her clean up afterward, and then he had held her so lovingly before they had fallen asleep.

If, Christine reasoned with herself, he truly only wanted to bed her, why would he be so tender with her after he had already gotten what he wanted? Maybe he did love her! Surely he would come to her and apologize, and while she knew she must make it clear that he could never deceive her like that again, of course she would forgive him.

But as the days turned into a week, and then another, and now another, she was forced to face the painful reality that her angel must have meant the hateful things he had said to her, or he would have returned to her by now.

Her heart heavy, Christine rose from the table at last, but as she did so, she bumped against a vase of roses that was sitting on the end, and it fell to the floor and shattered. Feeling a lump rise in her throat, she knelt without thinking and put a hand out to pick up a piece of glass, only to let out a hiss and drop it when it cut into her hand. Staring at the minor cut, she felt all the trauma of the last few weeks wash over her, and she crumpled to the floor as she started to sob.

After the evening’s performance, Erik had immediately returned home, resolving not to stare at Christine though her dressing room mirror like some lovesick fool. That resolution had only lasted a few minutes, however, before he ended up leaving again and striding up the tunnels to her dressing room. Although he knew it was pathetic, he was like an addict with her. Even staring at her without her knowledge was better than nothing, since there was no chance she would ever want to see him again now that she knew who he truly was, to say nothing of the miserable way he had treated her.

Though when he arrived at her mirror, every thought instantly flew from his head. His darling girl was crumpled on the floor, shoulders heaving as though she was weeping her heart out, and his own nearly stopped when he saw the broken glass in front of her. Without any thought beyond the need to make sure she was unharmed, Erik hit the release to open the mirror and flew to Christine’s side.

Though she was nearly beyond coherent thought as her grief poured from her, some part of her recognized that Erik was suddenly kneeling next to her. “Christine, what happened? Are you injured?” Unable to fully process the fact that he was suddenly by her side, she simply gaped at him as her tears continued to fall. When his gaze landed on her hand, he drew a sudden inhale. “You _are_ hurt. You must let me tend you.” And with no further thought on the matter, he swept her into his arms and stepped through the mirror to take her to his house, where he had a full cabinet of supplies to treat any injury that might arise.

As her sobs began to subside, Christine wondered if she was dreaming. How else to explain the fact that not only had her angel returned to her, he was carrying her tenderly in his arms down the same path he had led her before. Afraid to say anything for fear of disturbing this peace between them, she tentatively reached her arms around his neck and just let him carry her. In her current state of emotional upheaval, she was content to put the past ugliness from her mind and simply be near him again for the moment.

When she wrapped her arms around his neck, Erik stiffened in alarm. How much pain must his darling be in to hold on to someone who disgusted her as much as he surely did? He quickened his pace even more, frantic to get her to the house on the lake so he could assess her injuries.

When they reached the house at last, he carried her to the sofa in the sitting room and sat her down carefully, thankful that he had left the fireplace lit earlier. “Don’t move. Erik will be right back.”

Christine was still trying to process the events of the last few minutes. How had things progressed from her being sure she would never see Erik again, to him carrying her in his arms to his home? When he briskly entered the room again, she was even more confused, as he carried what looked to be a bottle of antiseptic and bandages.

He knelt before her and wordlessly took her hand in his. When he put some of the antiseptic on a cloth and started dabbing it lightly at the small cut on her hand, she finally started to understand. Did Erik think she was injured? It was barely a scratch, but she was so perplexed by his actions she barely knew what to think.

Once he had wrapped a bandage carefully around her hand, he finally spoke. “Is Christine hurt anywhere else?” When she slowly shook her head, he exhaled in relief and rose to his feet. “You gave your Erik quite a fright, my dear.”

Maybe she _was_ dreaming, Christine decided. How else to explain any of this? The man who she had foolishly believed to be an angel, after treating her so callously before, was now fretting over a minor cut on her hand when he had previously made it clear he didn’t care for her at all. And this was to say nothing of the strange way he was speaking, suddenly using both their names in place of pronouns at times, when he had certainly never spoken in such a way before. Although she should probably say something, she had no idea what, so she simply stared at him, her thoughts in a jumble.

As Erik began to realize her injury wasn’t serious, his dazed mind started to clear. Looking at Christine sitting on the sofa, he realized she was simply staring at him, a blank look on her face. With dread, it dawned on him that she was probably terrified to be back in his house now that she knew what a monster he was. He slowly backed away from her. “Christine needn’t be frightened of Erik. He won’t hurt her. But when he saw her crying by the broken glass, he worried that she was injured! And she was, so Erik brought her here to help her.” As the pathetic words came out of his mouth, he wanted to cringe. As though this stupid explanation was going to make her feel any better!

Christine decided not to mention his odd manner of speaking for now. “That wasn’t why I was crying. It was barely even a scratch,” she said instead.

He instantly drew closer to her, as though he couldn’t help himself. “Then why? Is Christine injured after all?” She distantly noted that his hands were flexing at his sides, as though he didn’t know what to do with them.

“No.” She bowed her head and the words spilled from her without thought. “I was crying because of you.”

Her words cut Erik to the quick, although of course it was nothing he shouldn’t have already known. His perfect Christine was so disgusted by him that merely thinking about him made her weep. No doubt she was lamenting the fact that she would have to live with the knowledge of having lain with a repulsive creature like him for the rest of her life. Although he was completely shattered inside, his first priority was to give her what comfort he could. Instinctively he resorted to the manner of speaking he had always used when he masqueraded as her angel. “Christine, you have nothing further to fear from me. I shouldn’t have brought you here again. I will return you to your dressing room, and I promise you shall never hear from me again.”

Christine had started to think that Erik’s kind treatment of her was an indication that he did care for her after all, so to hear him reject her yet again, and being clear that it was permanent this time, was simply too much for her battered heart to take. Devastated, she couldn’t stop herself from bursting into sobs again.

By now, Erik’s nerves had reached a breaking point. Scarcely aware of what he was doing, he stepped forward again and sat next to Christine on the sofa. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her, wanting only to comfort her, but when she froze, he realized his mistake. 'Idiot!' he thought. Of course she wouldn’t want him touching her. Before he could pull away, however, his darling slid her own arms around his waist and buried her face against his chest as she continued to sob.

“My dear, how can I help you? Only tell me, and Erik will do it.” His kind words merely made Christine cry harder. How could he be so caring with her just minutes after telling her he never wanted to see her again? Words spilled from her lips without conscious thought. “I thought you loved me! How could I have been such a fool?”

Had he stopped to consider his words, perhaps he would have remained silent. But when it came to Christine, good decisions were apparently not his strong point. “Oh, Erik does love Christine! He loves her very much, she mustn’t think he doesn’t!”

Startled enough by yet another change of direction from Erik that she instantly ceased crying, Christine pulled back far enough to be able to look at his face. “You love me?” she whispered. “Truly?”

“Yes, Erik...I...love you, more than anyone or anything.” On the heels of that embarrassing confession, Erik shut his eyes. He couldn’t bear to see how horrified she surely was after hearing a monster pledge his love to her, which is why he was shocked a moment later when Christine twined her arms around his neck and pressed her soft lips to his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy angst! Good thing we know these two crazy kids are going to figure it out eventually. Also, I initially thought this would be two chapters, but it's getting longer than I anticipated. So I guess we'll go with three instead.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note the updated tag - there is a very brief (one paragraph) mention of Erik being abused as a child. It's not very graphic, and it's probably nothing you wouldn't expect in this fandom, but it is there. It's the third paragraph, and honestly you could probably just skip over it and still follow the story. I hope you like this somewhat fluffier conclusion to this piece!

Christine was so thrilled to hear Erik confess his love to her that she had immediately kissed him without thinking, but as his hesitant arms enfolded her and he responded to her kiss, she felt a warmth blossoming in her heart. Her angel did love her, after all! Of course they had some issues to discuss, but for the moment being back in his arms was all she wanted.

Erik was initially stunned by his darling’s kiss. At first he followed his instincts to return her kiss and embrace her, but then thought intruded. His Christine wanted to kiss him, after having seen his terrible face and after he had treated her so poorly? That didn’t seem possible, and yet it was happening.

When a dreadful realization washed over him, Erik pulled back from her kiss, his mind racing. What if she thought he would hold her here against her will, and was merely trying to placate the monster that had attacked her before? After all, he had carried her here from her dressing room without asking - maybe she thought herself kidnapped. While Erik tried his best not to think about his past, unfortunately he remembered the pathetic child he had been trying to please his tormentors in any way he could, desperate to be beaten less or given some food. He still remembered the burning hate he had felt towards them even as he pretended to accept his lot. No doubt his poor darling felt just as helpless and terrified, trapped as she was with a fiend such as him.

“Christine, my dear, please don’t fret. You are free to return above any time you want,” he sought to reassure her. She squinted her eyes at him a little, as if he had confused her. Oh, the poor dear, he thought. She was so terrified she couldn’t even think straight.

What? Why would Erik say such a thing immediately after kissing her, she wondered. Had her kiss not been satisfactory? Her heart dropping a little, she lowered her gaze to her lap and asked, “Do you want me to leave?”

“No! Erik likes having Christine here, very much, but he is afraid she doesn’t want to be here, after the bad things he did to her.” Now it was his turn to look down, as her gaze shot to his face.

“Erik, I do want to be here, but we also need to discuss those things. Why did you let me believe you were the Angel of Music? And how do I know you won’t hurt me again like you did the last time I was here?” Hearing her angel tell her he only wanted to use her carnally had hurt dreadfully. Even though she was starting to realize he had said it in anger and didn’t mean it, it was still not an acceptable thing to say to someone you cared for.

He decided to address her initial question first, reverting to his angel manner of speaking. “When I first spoke to you, you must believe I didn’t intend to deceive you. When I found you crying in the dormitory, I called out your name without thinking. When you asked if I was an angel after we had conversed a bit, I told you I was. It was shameful of me to deceive you like that.”

“But why? Why not just approach me?

He smiled ruefully and shook his head. “A monster like me approaching an innocent young girl is unthinkable. But if you thought me an angel, I could spend time with you, watch over you. I deluded myself into thinking you needed me.”

“I _did_ need you. And you’re not a monster.” Christine hated to consider her beloved angel thinking of himself that way.

“You’ve seen me now, Petite. Had I shown you my true self back then, you would have been terrified. However, letting you think I was an angel sent by your father was despicable of me, no matter what I told myself the reasons were.”

“Yes, it was, and Erik, you must promise never to deceive me like that again. You must always be honest with me in the future.”

Now his gaze jumped to her face. “Oh yes, if Christine will forgive her Erik, he will never lie to her again!” And once again dropping his eyes, he added “and please, please forgive Erik for the terrible things he did to Christine when she was here last! It will never happen again, Erik swears it!” He dropped to his knees before her and picked up the hem of her gown, bending his head in supplication.

Unable to harden her heart against such a seemingly heartfelt apology from him, Christine put her fingers under his chin and tipped his face up to her. “Erik, I do forgive you. And I have something to tell you. For quite some time, I had been praying that my angel would somehow become a man so we could share our lives together the way we shared our music. Granted, this isn’t exactly how I envisioned it happening, but in a way my prayer has come true. You _are_ a man, and you love me, as I love you.”

Although Erik was fairly certain that no divine interference was involved with his presence in her life, he definitely was not planning to argue with her reasoning. “You love me, Christine?”

She smiled, her lovely face lighting up his heart. “I do, very much.”

He dared to reach up and brush his fingers over her soft cheek. “Wait here, my Christine? Erik will be right back. He has something for you, if you want it.” And he turned and strode from the room, returning a short time later with something enclosed in his hand.

Erik came over to her and knelt in front of her again. When he lifted his hand and opened it in front of her, Christine gasped. Nestled on his palm was a delicate gold ring. “Will Christine wear Erik’s ring? And when she’s ready, will she be his wife?”

Although she knew many people would consider this too sudden, there was no doubt in Christine’s mind what her answer would be. Those same people had no idea the bond that existed between her and her angel. “Oh yes, Erik, yes! Of course I will!”

*****

After their engagement, Erik and Christine settled into something of a routine. They resumed her vocal lessons, and she began staying in his house most nights, even though that was very improper. The night of their engagement, she had grown very tired but was trying to stay awake, not wanting their evening to end. When Erik noticed that she was practically nodding off, he had told her that the room that would be hers after they married was already prepared for her, if she would like to stay there that night. She agreed and he showed her to the door of the room where they had lain together on her previous trip to his house.

Christine felt a little tense, not sure if she was ready to make love to him again yet after the emotional day she had already had. Erik must have sensed that, she decided, because he stopped at the doorway instead of following her into the room. “Erik has stocked the bathroom with some items for Christine to use, and there are a few things she can wear in the wardrobe.” In another shift she was starting to expect, he switched his manner of speaking again. “I...never thought you would stay here, but I wanted you to have a place you could come to, should you ever be in need.” As she thanked him, he seemed a little embarrassed and then took his leave.

After he bid her a good evening, Christine investigated the contents of the wardrobe and the bathroom, and was overwhelmed with what she found. Erik had picked out beautiful dresses and nightwear for her, and they all seemed that they would fit her perfectly. In the bathroom, she found a plethora of lovely soaps and lotions, all brand-new and much finer than any she had ever owned. Her heart warmed as she realized he had done this thinking she would never stay here. How had she thought he hadn’t cared for her?

In the evenings, they read in the library, played games, or sang duets together. It was all quite perfect, except for one thing. Erik, while being an ideal fiancé in every other way, never tried to kiss her or touch her at all. After a day or two of letting her emotions settle, Christine was quite interested in repeating what they had done before in her bedroom, but she didn’t know how to bring it up, so she hoped Erik would take the lead. When he didn’t initiate anything after a few days though, doubt started to set in. While she knew without a doubt that he loved her, what if he had meant it before when he told her bedding her was forgettable? What if he didn’t want her that way?

After several weeks passed in this manner, Christine feared he would never broach the topic or try to initiate anything with her. She was going to have to find a way to discuss this with him, she realized. The evening she had resolved to do exactly that, when Erik asked her what she would like to do for entertainment, she had taken a deep breath.

“Well,” she said, feeling her cheeks quickly turning scarlet, “I thought maybe we could...kiss.”

He froze. “Christine wishes to kiss Erik?”

She bit back a sigh at his return to third-person speaking. Although he switched back and forth between that and using correct grammar, she had started to realize that he used the odd manner of speaking when he was feeling negative emotions, such as stress, panic, or anxiety. Some instinct she possessed had told her not to remark on this, that it would only embarrass him. He clearly knew how to speak in a normal manner, so she felt there was some deeper force within him at work here, and she was content to accept it if it helped Erik feel more in control.

“I do wish to kiss you,” was all she said.

Erik was stunned! Christine wanted to kiss him? Of course she had kissed him the day of their engagement, but he had considered that she had probably done so because of her highly emotional state. She hadn’t given any indication that she wanted to kiss him again after that day, and since he had given her his word that he would never try to bed her again, he had assumed any kissing was also at an end. “I would be honored.”

Christine smiled at him and took his hand, leading him over to the sofa in the library. After they sat, she turned to him, looking nervous but eager. They both moved toward each other at the same time, and soon they were clinging to each other, tongues tangling together shyly at first and then more boldly. When Erik tilted his head to get a different angle, though, he felt her pull back slightly with a bit of a wince. “Are you alright, my dear?”

“Oh yes,” she replied, “it’s just that...well, your mask...it chafes my skin a little.” Looking away, she gathered her courage. “I was thinking, if you removed it, kissing could be even more pleasant,” stealing a look up at him from under her long lashes.

“Christine, no! You wouldn’t want to see Erik’s awful face again, you remember what happened when you took his mask off before.”

What was he talking about? “Erik, I do want to see your face. And I didn’t take your mask off before. Either you removed it, or it came off while you slept.”

Erik felt shame wash over him. Even when he thought she had removed his mask, he knew the way he had treated her was unforgivable. Now, to find out she hadn’t done it at all? He wasn’t sure he could live with the guilt he felt.

“Oh Christine! Erik has treated you so badly. How could you ever forgive him?”

She watched as Erik buried his face in his hands. Somehow this wasn’t proceeding exactly as she had hoped. “Erik, I’ve already forgiven you, you know that. And remember, I love you.” Christine reached out and gently placed her hand over one of his.

This seemed to help calm him. After a moment he took a deep breath and looked up at her. “Erik knows this. He doesn’t deserve Christine, but he certainly does love her.” When she smiled angelically at him, he was lost. “And he will take the mask off, if she truly wishes him to.”

She nodded. “I do.”

Slowly, Erik reached up and untied his mask. He moved it away from his face and closed his eyes, afraid to see her reaction. He waited in silence for her to scream and run from the room.

Christine took a moment to simply take his face in, this time without confusion or fear. Her initial impression previously had been that of a skull, and she saw that she hadn’t been far off. If one looked at it objectively, his visage _was_ dreadful, she supposed, but she wasn’t objective here. This was Erik’s face, and she loved him.

Erik gave a startled jump when he felt Christine’s sweet lips on his terrible forehead. His eyes opened in surprise as she pulled back slightly, meeting his eyes with a smile. Instead of saying anything, she simply put a hand on each side of his face, and kissed him again.

After that, Erik grew more and more comfortable without his mask in her presence. He seemed to relish kissing her and holding her, but never made any move to take it beyond that. When this had been the case for several weeks, Christine decided she was going to have to take things into her own hands once again.

The night she decided to take action, he walked her to the door of her room as he always did. “Good night, Petite,” he said as he leaned down to kiss her goodnight as usual, but this time she pulled back before his lips made contact with hers. Ignoring his slightly hurt look, she said “I thought maybe you could kiss me in my room tonight,” and before he had a chance to collect his scattered thoughts, she took his hand and led him inside.

Erik’s head was spinning. Christine had taken his hand and led him into her bedroom! Although he knew he would have to keep a tight hold on his desire for her with the temptation of a bed so near, he could never have resisted the chance to kiss his darling in the room he had designed for her.

Christine sat on the bed and patted the space next to her. Erik walked to the bed slowly and sat down stiffly next to her. “May I?” she asked sweetly as she placed her hands on either side of his mask. At Erik’s slow nod, she untied it and placed it on the night table next to the bed. Turning back to him, she leaned in and kissed him.

Soon their kiss grew more and more passionate, and she was able to lay back against her pillows and subtly pull Erik along with her until he was laying on top of her. It felt so good to have his weight on her again, but she wanted more. She reached between them to try to unbutton his shirt, but when she touched the garment Erik jerked away as if she had burned him.

“Christine! What are you doing?”

“I just...thought it would be more comfortable if we were wearing less clothing,” she explained lamely, starting to feel silly. Maybe Erik didn’t desire her that way, after all. Oh, he was so confusing! To her horror and embarrassment, she could feel tears start to well up, and she looked away, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

Of course, since nothing about Christine escaped his notice, he did. What had he done to make her cry? Had he scared her? But she had seemed to want to kiss him, and he had promised never to violate her again. “Christine?” he asked tentatively. “What has Erik done? He is so, so sorry.”

His words caused her to give an inelegant snort of laughter through her tears. Although she was probably only embarrassing herself further, Christine found she couldn’t control the words coming out of her mouth. “It’s what you haven’t done, Erik, not what you’ve done. You say you love me, but you apparently don’t want me. I guess I really was a disappointment to you before.”

She made a move to roll off the bed before she could humiliate herself further, but Erik stopped her with a hand on her arm. “You...want Erik? In bed?”

Christine squeezed her eyes shut. “Yes, obviously. But I understand now you don’t feel the same.”

She felt Erik’s fingers lightly graze over her cheek. “Christine, I want you so much. But, you made Erik promise not to hurt you again, and he meant his promise.”

Her eyes snapped open. “I wasn’t talking about _that_. I meant that you mustn't lie to me again, and that you not say hurtful things to me like you did _after_ we were intimate, but I certainly never meant I didn’t want you to make love to me ever again. Erik, we are to be married!”

Christine felt her heart breaking at the hopeful look that came over Erik’s face. Had he really been willing to forgo intimacy forever because that’s what he thought she wanted? “Oh, Erik. I enjoyed what we did before very much, and I want to do it again.” She could feel her face growing red as she said such bold words, but she forced herself to keep speaking. “If that’s what you want, of course.”

In answer, he leaned in and kissed her.

Once Erik had helped her remove her clothes, he could only marvel at the perfection of Christine’s body once again. Once he had her lying back against her pillows once more, he dared to speak of his greatest fantasy. “Christine, there is something I’d like to try, if you’re amenable to it.”

“Anything, but you’re wearing too many clothes.” And she reached for the buttons on his shirt again. Erik pulled back with a gasp.

“No, no! Christine wouldn’t want to see Erik’s body. It’s not beautiful like hers.”

She could tell by his reverting to referring to himself in the third person that Erik was growing uncomfortable, but Christine sensed that this was important to them. Erik needed to know that she loved and accepted him just as he was.

“Darling, I want to see you and feel you against me. Would it be alright if we turned off the lights and just left the candle burning on the dresser?”

Erik took some time mulling over her request, but then he nodded and rose to turn off the gas lamps and light the single candle. Closing his eyes, he stripped off his clothing as quickly as possible and moved to lay against her, hoping she wouldn’t see too much of his scarred, thin body.

Knowing how much courage it had taken for Erik to undress in front of her, Christine wrapped her arms around him and drew him in for more kisses. Although he held himself stiffly at first, he relaxed as she continued to kiss him and hold him lovingly. When she felt the tension ease from his body, Christine pulled back just slightly. “So, what was it you wanted to try?”

In the faint light of the candle, Erik could see the smile on his beloved’s lips, which somehow managed to be sensual and sweet simultaneously. In answer he leaned in and started kissing her neck, working his way down to her breasts. Remembering how she had liked his attention there before, he began kissing and licking her nipples, using his fingers to play with one while he lavished attention with his mouth on the other. After switching back and forth several times, Christine started to writhe beneath him, and he continued kissing his way down her soft stomach.

When he reached the secret place between her thighs, he pulled back and looked up at her. “Is this...all right?” He didn’t want to horrify her by putting his terrible face into her most private area if it wasn’t something she wanted. But judging from her eager nod, she _did_ want it, no matter how unlikely that scenario seemed to him.

Erik tentatively pressed a kiss to her opening. When she didn’t scream in terror, he kissed her again, and soon he was working his lips and tongue against her in earnest. And apparently having his horrible face between her legs wasn’t disgusting to her, judging by how much moisture was leaking from her opening. Nearly drunk with pleasure on the taste of her, Erik began teasing her sweet pearl with his tongue, unable to stop pride from swelling in him at the desperate sounds she was making. When he closed his lips around her bud and started gently suckling, she was lost. He continued to gently work his mouth against her until her spasms had stopped.

Erik moved up her body and lay next to her for a few moments while she caught her breath and came back to herself. When he moved back over her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. His thin lips were still wet from his ministrations to her, and tasting herself on them was heartbreakingly intimate. How she loved him!

This time when Erik slid himself into her, there was no discomfort, just a lovely feeling of fullness. As he began to work himself back and forth in her channel, she closed her eyes and surrendered to the beauty of her angel making love to her, just as she had dreamed.

As Erik felt himself drawing closer to his climax, he reached between their bodies to find her sensitive nub. He circled it gently with his finger, and soon it had the desired effect as he felt her channel clench around him with her orgasm. After he felt her pleasure wash over her, he increased the speed of his thrusts, nearly desperate to join her.

Feeling Erik begin to seek his own satisfaction after he had seen to hers twice awakened a different kind of urge in Christine, and she wrapped her arms and legs both around him, wanting to be as close to the man she loved as possible. This was everything she had dreamed of when she thought he was an angel, and she was so grateful to be here with him like this she felt tears form in her eyes.

As Erik poured himself into her with his darling girl holding him as tight as she possibly could, he couldn’t even process all the emotions running through him. Christine was here with him, and she loved him and wanted to be with him, to be close to him. When he pulled back after catching his breath, the tears glistening in her lovely eyes took him aback, however.

“Darling, what’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he had hurt his perfect Christine after she had trusted him so.

Her sweet words quickly reassured him “Oh, no, Erik, not at all. I’m just...so happy. I love you so much. To be here with you like this, this is what I prayed for for so long.”

Erik found himself unable to answer her around the lump in his throat as matching tears filled his eyes. So instead he simply leaned in and kissed her, trying to convey all the love in his heart silently, and he knew Christine felt the same by the loving way her arms tightened around him. He was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story turned out way longer than I anticipated, and didn't exactly follow the path I envisioned for it when I started writing it. I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out, though. I would love to hear any thoughts/comments, and thanks for reading!


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